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Features

• 12 hot US security start-ups to watch

  Going into 2014, a whirlwind of security start-ups are looking to have an impact on the enterprise world. Most of these new ventures are focused on securing data in the cloud and on mobile devices. Santa Clara, California-based Illumio, for example, founded earlier this year, is only hinting about what it will be doing in cloud security. But already it's the darling of Silicon Valley investors, pulling in over $42 million from backer Andreesen Horowitz, General Catalyst, Formation 8 and others.

• Perspective: What's Microsoft's Office Web apps strategy?

  Microsoft's addition of real-time collaboration to its free Office Web Apps last week was necessary in the short term to counter Google Docs, analysts said.

• Apple puts the ball in Microsoft's court

  Apple's decision to give away OS X upgrades and other software, including the iWork productivity suite, is seen as both an offensive and a defensive move that challenges Microsoft to respond.

• Apple plays defense and offense with free software, upgrade strategies

  Apple's decision to give away OS X upgrades and other software, including the iWork productivity suite, stemmed from both offensive and defensive strategies, analysts said today.

• Microsoft Word: At 30, the word processing package is king, but threats abound

  It is 30 years old and dominates the word processing market, but Microsoft Word is now more than ever fending off challenges from the cloud where less expensive and even free alternatives pose new threats, experts say.

• Gartner's dark vision for tech, jobs

  Science fiction writers have long told of great upheaval as machines replace people. Now, so is research firm Gartner. The difference is that Gartner is putting in dates and recommending immediate action.

• Gartner: The top 10 IT altering predictions for 2014

  Gartner analysts have whipped out their always interesting and sometimes controversial look at what the consultancy thinks will impact the IT arena in the near future.

• As the digital revolution kills jobs, social unrest will rise

  Gartner is forecasting some major changes in technology, especially in areas like 3D printing, machine learning and voice recognition. They are all powerful trends that will reduce the need for workers, and, as a consequence, bring social unrest, the analyst firm said.

• Adobe hack shows subscription software vendors lucrative targets

  Adobe on Thursday admitted that hackers broke into its network and stole personal information, including an estimated 2.9 million credit cards, illustrating the lucrative target that software-by-subscription providers have become to cyber criminals.

• A breakup may be on the horizon for BlackBerry

  BlackBerry's likely buyer, Fairfax Financial Holdings, faces a tough road after the close of the $4.7 billion deal, with many analysts saying its only option is to break up the company.

• CSC: The Cloud's quiet whiz kid

  When most people who track the industry think of the Cloud computing market, big names like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google, Rackspace, Verizon Terremark and others come to mind. HP, Joyent, IBM and Dell even. But Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC)?

• What's next for BlackBerry?

  The group trying to buy BlackBerry for US$4.7 billion will likely break up the company, wiping out its smartphone division while preserving BlackBerry's secure network services used by large enterprises. But one analyst said he hopes that's not the case.

• Windows 8 stains Ballmer's legacy

  Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer survived the flop that was Windows Vista, but he wasn't able to do the same after the disappointment of Windows 8.

• Chief Digital Officer: Hot new tech title or flash in the pan?

  Enterprises like Sears, Starbucks and Harvard are hiring Chief Digital Officers to help monetise digital content, better connect with customers and drive their businesses forward. But does every company need one?

• Forget the high margins, Apple - cut iPad Mini prices

  Apple sold 14 per cent fewer iPads in the quarter that ended June 30 than in the same quarter last year, while the revenue from those sales plummeted by 27 per cent. The solution? Cut prices, say analysts.